A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to door opening mechanisms for toaster ovens of the type employed to cook various foods or to toast bread.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A typical toaster oven employed to cook foods or toast bread generally includes a housing defining an oven chamber the access to which is provided by a door hinged on the front of the housing. The oven chamber also includes a rack upon which the food or toast may be placed. The food or toast is heated by one or more heating elements mounted within the oven chamber that interact with several reflectors positioned at various locations within the oven chamber. A typical prior art toaster oven is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,538 Snyder.
Prior art toaster ovens typically include an oven thermostat for controlling the energization of the heating elements during the oven mode of operation, and a timer for controlling the length of energization of the heating elements during the toaster mode of operation thus allowing for accurate control of the preparation of the food. A typical toaster oven including an oven thermostat and timer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,861 De Remer.
It has been discovered that after the food or bread has been heated to the proper temperature and cooked or toasted and the heating elements are deenergized, the heat within the oven chamber may not dissipate soon enough to prevent over-cooking or further toasting prior to removal of the food or toast from the oven chamber. One method of correcting this problem, particularly during the toast cycle, is to automatically open the oven door upon completion of the cycle of operation. This allows hot air to escape from the oven chamber thereby rapidly reducing the temperature of the oven chamber and preventing over-toasting. A typical prior art mechanism for opening the oven door at completion of the toasting cycle is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,050 Snyder.
These prior art toaster ovens, and specifically the automatic door arrangements, often suffer from lack of reliability due to the fact that the mechanisms fail to operate at the proper time during the toaster mode of operation. In addition, these devices often include timers or electrical switches that require extensive servicing.